1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a computer-readable recording device, for detecting an abnormal portion from a captured image of an inside of a subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, endoscopes have come into widespread use as a medical observation apparatus that is inserted into a subject such as a patient to observe the inside of the subject in a non-invasive manner. In recent years, there has been developed a swallowable endoscope (capsule endoscope) that houses an imaging device, a communication device, and the like in a capsule-shaped casing, and wirelessly transmits image data acquired through capturing an image by the imaging device to the outside of the subject.
However, a great deal of experience is required to conduct observations and diagnosis based on images of a lumen of the living body (intraluminal images) captured by these medical observation devices. Therefore, there is demand for a medical diagnosis supporting function to assist doctors in diagnosis.
As one of image recognition techniques for realizing the foregoing function, there has been proposed a technique for automatically detecting an abnormal portion from images to present images to be intensively examined for diagnosis. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-291733 discloses a method for properly detecting an abnormal portion by extracting a candidate for abnormal shadows and vascular shadows from lung regions in cross-sectional images and excluding overlapping portions between the candidate for abnormal shadows and the vascular shadows from the candidate for abnormal shadows.